Thursday, April 30, 2009

As many of you might already know, I have a segment airing on E! News every Monday. I am coaching 2 women (Julie & Maria) to lose weight and reach their fitness goals. The girls have been following my Red Carpet Ready program and both of them have seen amazing results. Maria has already lost 20 pounds, and Julie is down a could dress sizes, in just 6 weeks!! I'm so proud of Julie and all of her hard work. Julie started the program with no exercise experience and struggled through the first couple weeks. Now, she is starting to enjoy the process and has been successful in making Red Carpet Ready a part of her new and healthy lifestyle.

Maria, while familiar with exercising, found out that in order to see Red Carpet Ready results she needed to increase the intensity of her workouts. Additionally, Maria enjoys going out with her friends and co-workers, so it was an initial challenge for her to get over the hump of Happy Hour temptations. However, she is now able to make smart choices when it comes to her diet, even when eating out.

In an upcoming segment, my friend Gavan - The Healthy Irishman - stops by to show the girls, and E! News viewers some delicious and healthy meals that anyone can cook in the comfort of their own home. I'll be sure to keep you posted!!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Earth Day is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. With all the talk about global warming and the current condition of our Earth, we have to wonder: what can we do to help protect our planet? There are organizations online that offer the opportunity to adopt a rainforest, or donate money to preserve our wildlife, but what would you say if I offered a suggestion that would help you lose weight, save you money, and help the environment all at once?

Bring your lunch to work.

Believe it or not, something as simple as bringing your lunch to work can reduce your carbon footprint - which means that you can be proud of yourself on Earth Day (and every day) that you're not contributing to the 1.8 million tons of trash created by the packaging that take-out food comes in. That's a whole lotta trash!! An added bonus is that you're not only helping preserve Earth's environment, you're also saving yourself the money of eating out. If you were to eat out during the work week, let's say spending $7 a day on your eats, you'll be saving yourself a whopping $140 a month by bringing your lunch to work! Additionally, you'll be sparing your body the aftermath of what you might have consumed had you gotten your fast food fix. Even if you were attempting to make a healthier decision by heading to Subway for a tuna sandwich, you'd be consuming around 700 to 800 calories (that's after the drink and bag of chips to make your meal a combo). By packing your own lunch, you will be much more aware of what you're putting in your body and therefore less likely to overdo the sodium, fat, carbohydrates, and overall calories. So come Summer, not only will you be rockin' your hot bikini body, you'll know that you've done your part to preserve the planet we live on.

Monday, April 20, 2009

This past weekend in LA was truly spectacular - it was a little taste of Summer! Many people were enjoying their time on the beach, soaking up the sun. If the thought of being in a bikini has you in a bit of a panic, don't worry, my "I Want My Bikini Body", the ultimate beach beach body workout, is coming soon. These workouts will help you burn excess body fat, flatten and tighten your belly, lift and shape your butt, and tone your arms. Some of the girls in my Red Carpet Ready Club have been sampling these workouts for the past couple weeks, and loving them. Here is what one of them had to say:

"Oh, my gosh. What an incredible workout! In my opinion, this workout was one of the most intense workouts, but incredibly enjoyable ... I loved this workout. I liked the combination of valslide/valband cardio, traditional strength and then the sculpting exercises. Val, I cannot tell you how excited I am to get this ebook. I think my body will really respond well to these workouts."-Jennifer Hardy

Since my beach body workouts aren't quite ready for release, I wanted to provide another form of motivation to get everyone fired up for Summer - it's just 5 weeks away!! I've found that we often respond very well to a visual stimulus of what we hope to achieve in terms of goals having to do with how we look. Taking that into consideration, here are what I believe to be bikini worthy bodies:

All of three of these women have made diet & exercise a priority in their life, and it shows!

Friday, April 17, 2009

Want to get a kick-butt, heart thumping cardio workout without going to the gym, or having to spend $3000 on a treadmill? I specialize in fast pace circuits that burn a ton of calories, while sculpting a lean and sexy physique.

Here is a new workout that I created to beat beach body panic and to get you bikini ready in time for Summer. You might be skeptical and wondering how the workout below is going to take the place of a treadmill, but trust me on this one. The combination of these exercises will get your heart rate up and I promise, you will feel this all throughout your body!All you need are your Valslides and about 8 square feet. You might want to also have a bottle of water, because you're going to get thirsty!!

Monday, April 6, 2009

A few weeks ago I got tagged on Facebook with with a chain letter message. Unlike a typical chain letter, this one required me to fill in 25 things about myself that most people may not know, and then continue the chain by tagging my friends with my post. I had a lot of fun filling this out and thought it would be even more fun to share with you, 25 random things about me!

1. It's been more than 18 years and I still get a thrill out of training clients. I love seeing their lives change as a result of becoming more fit.

2. I believe in manifesting, karma, and intuition.

3. Lessons I learned at High School track practice still influence me today.

4. I grew up in "The OC".

5. Cindy Crawford was my first celebrity client, and we worked together for 15 years.

6. I used to eat Tom Ramen or Taco Bell Bean Burritos nearly everyday (fortunately, I got over this!).

7. I work at being motivated to exercise. I often remind myself of my motto, "You are only one workout away from a good mood", to get myself to the gym.

8. I love my dogs, Cody & Lexi, and feel so blessed to have them. They bring me joy each day.

9. Growing up, I owned a horse.

10. I love to surf, even though I'm afraid of waves over waist high, I am afraid of running into someone, I don't like seaweed and I freak out when fish touch me. In spite of these issues, I keep trying.

11. I prefer "1 on 1" or small groups rather than big parties or events.

14. You will never find me at a horror movie. I don't even like seeing the commercials or trailers for them. They give me nightmares.

15. My parents had a small garden when I was a kid. I think it is so cool that I was able to watch things grow, pull them from the ground, and eat them for dinner. One Halloween, we planted the seed from our Jack O Lantern, and about 10 months later we have a gazillion pumpkins. We made pumpkin soup, pumpkin muffins,pumpkin pie, and more!

16. I am very proud to have created The Valslide. This very simple exercise tool can add dozens of new exercises to your repertoire.

18. I used to be a workaholic. I am so much happier and healthier since I cut back.

19. Kauai is my favorite place. One of my best friends owns a company called Pure Kauai that provides luxury health and fitness services. I go at least once a year to surf and take in the beauty of the island.

20. I attend a lot of trainer conferences such as Perform Better, to learn new stuff, but also so that I can run with my tribe.

21. I love LA! I am truly a sunshine girl.

22. I stepped into a weight room for the first time at the age of 15. I haven't stopped lifting since!

23. As a trainer, the people who have inspired me the most are Mike Boyle, Alwyn Cosgrove, Gray Cook, and Mark Verstegen.

24. I have a love/hate relationship with Yoga. I love how good it makes me feel when I'm done, I love my instructor, and I know it's good for me. But, it is still torture while I'm there. I would rather be lifting weights.

25. Favorite Sundays go something like this: Wake up and have coffee, walk the dogs, go surfing, take a hot shower, eat a mexican breakfast, crawl back into bed and read/nap (Cody & Lexi like this part too!), go to farmers market, go to yoga, see a movie with a friend.

Friday, April 3, 2009

I am off the gym with my IPOD filled with a new playlist that one of my clients sent me. I always feel like my workouts go up a notch when I have new music I love. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Val's Latest Playlist

If you need some extra motivation right now, the girls in my Red Carpet Ready Club have a Bikini Challenge going on. Come join in on the fun at www.RedCarpetReady.com

Thursday, April 2, 2009

One of the things I enjoy most is getting e-mails from customers sharing with me how pleased they are with their Valslides. I designed the Valslide with simplicity in mind, and knew that this effective exercise tool would provide results in record time. It makes me feel so great when Valslide users contact me to share their positive feedback and their love for my product.On that note, about a month ago I opened this e-mail:

Hi Val,

I just had to write & thank you!I have worked out my whole life. Everything from step aerobics (way back when), yoga, pilates, weights, the ball, the bean, etc. etc. Although, I was blessed with great genes, I always disliked my little pooch of a stomach and the lack of a backside. (I am 5'5 and about 118 lbs since forever.)

I was never able to rid myself of the little shelf I called my stomach no matter how hard I tried. I just figured that's the way I was born.

Well, at 44, thanks to less than three months of the Valslide, I have a different body! I have a butt and a defined, flatter midriff which just amazes me!

I absolutely love my Valslides and tell everyone about them. I am a true believer!

Thank you, Val!

Sincerely,Hallie H.

When I read this e-mail, it makes me so happy! The Valslides really can change your body, and they do really work. No matter what other workouts you've tried, you will not be disappointed with the results you see from using the Valslide.

Because the Valslide is such a versatile exercise tool, I'm always coming up with new exercises. The latest new move, Valslide Reverse Lunge With A Reach, is a modification of the original (and highly effective) Valslide Reverse Lunge - check out the video below.